Come and See Preached on January 19th, 2020 at Wollaston Congregational Church Scripture: John 1:29-42 This week we return to the gospel of John, and hear his version of the first days of Jesus’ public ministry. As with our reading from Matthew last week, we hear the first time Jesus speaks in the gospel. Those first words are our focus for today, as we hear Jesus ask us “What are you looking for?” and hear the invitation to “come and see.” Our gospel reading today told of the first two days of Jesus’ appearance with John the Baptist. We assume they are in the wilderness region close to the River Jordan where John baptizes the people who come to him. John has his own group of disciples, but soon there will be a transition. Jesus will begin his ministry and John the Baptist will encourage his own disciples to follow Jesus. On the first day John sees Jesus coming toward him, he exclaims to his disciples “Here is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” The next day, John is standing with two of his disciples when Jesus walks by once more. Again, John exclaims “Look, here is the lamb of God.” These disciples of John’s decide to go and follow Jesus. When Jesus realizes what is going on he turns to them and says “What are you looking for?” They reply “Rabbi, where are you staying?” To which he extends the invitation “Come and see.” They go and remained with him all day. Then these disciples, Andrew and the other, go to find Simon, Andrew’s brother. They tell him “we have found the Messiah.” What are you looking for? Where are you staying? Come and see. Jesus’ first words in this gospel, are the question he asks Andrew and his companion: “What are you looking for?” What are you looking for? The question assumes they are looking for something or someone, some place or some event. It is not the question many of us would think to ask if we were being followed by a couple of strangers. It’s not the first question we think to ask visitors to our church. It’s not the first question we ask when we are introduced to someone new. But it is Jesus’ first question. And, so let’s pause for a moment and ask ourselves this question: What are you seeking? The universal answer to this question might be: God. We are all seeking God. And yet, the way in which we answer the question would indicate what it is about God that completes us. What space inside ourselves needs God’s presence, and where we would go to seek that out? Jesus does not assume he knows what Andrew and his friend are looking for. He pauses to ask. Perhaps he is asking, so that these disciples of John will question themselves, perhaps he is truly curious. Being truly curious about the answer to this question for one another, our family, friends and neighbors, might be illuminating. As human beings, do we all seek the same thing? Do we have common hungers, thirsts, and desires? And if so, would discovering what our neighbors are seeking help us to learn what we truly seek too? Jesus does not say, I have the answers to all your questions: come to church once a week on Sunday, get down on your knees and say the sinner’s prayer. These kind of commands would shut us down and restrict our thinking. Instead Jesus uses questions because they present openings, they invite creativity. What do the people of our community seek? This is a question we will need to ask in the coming year. Perhaps members of our community are seeking: - Somewhere to gather - Somewhere to connect - A place of peace for meditation - A place of healing from anxiety, depression, or addictions - A place of reconciliation for families and communities or perhaps, a place of acceptance and radical welcome, when they have not received that welcome elsewhere. The disciple Andrew and his friend don’t really answer Jesus’ question. They simply return with another question “where are you staying?” We might suppose this is their answer. They want to know where Jesus is lodging while he is the area. Has he pitched a tent among John’s wilderness community? Has he been offered lodgings in someone’s home? Or is it something deeper? They want to know where he is going to be, because they want to be with him. The word “staying” also means remaining or abiding. Abiding carries a deeper meaning, it refers to a continuing, lasting presence. So much more than simply asking where is Jesus’ place for that night. Perhaps, hidden in the disciples’ question, where is Jesus abiding, are other questions: - Where can we find you? - Where can we abide with you? If they are hoping for an address, or a destination, they will be disappointed. We can follow Jesus through the entire gospel and we will never find him staying in one place. He is always on the move, traveling about the countryside, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, teaching the disciples. For those of us who like to find a comfortable and stay there, this may be a hard thing to accept. Following Jesus does not mean resting in one place. Literally or figuratively, followers of Jesus are always on the move. And so, Jesus finally responds to the disciples’ question with an invitation. “Come and see.” Does he mean “come see the cute little airbnb I found”? Come check out the hotel pool, come see the view. No, come and see, is a much wider invitation. It’s an invitation to readers of the gospel, for all times and places. “Come … let’s go on a journey together, you are going to see what you never thought was possible … the Word of God living here on Earth, among us. Come and see.” The adventure begins … and continues with sign after sign of God’s abiding presence. Water is turned into wine at a wedding in Cana, the son of a royal official is healed i, the lame are made able to walk, the sight of the blind is restored, 5,000 hungry people are fed from five small loaves and two fish. Stories are told, lives are transformed. Come and see, Jesus says to Andrew and his friend, and they are about to be taken on the journey of a lifetime. While I was in seminary, my professor of preaching always used to say to the class “don’t tell … show.” This is what we see Jesus do. Jesus reveals the presence of God by showing the presence of God. When he teaches in words, it is through stories rather than instructions. And he is also always showing God in his deeds. I have learned that when someone has a fixed idea or prejudice, they will rarely be talked out of it. If anything, arguing the opposite point of view with someone will cause them to double down. During one internship for ministry, I asked my supervisor for ideas on how to approach people who expressed biases against people of a different sexual orientation or race. She said the only way to change minds is through the power of experience and relationship. Time and time again we see that when we remain in our silos it is easy to build up stereotypes and prejudices about “the other.” For me, this may be my white-protestant silo; my hetero-normative silo; or my socio-economic group silo. I am grateful for the new group in Quincy, the Quincy Interfaith Network, QIN, of which this church a member. QIN has helped bring me out of my white protestant silo. The monthly QIN meetings for faith leaders are hosted in our various buildings and places of worship. When the faith leaders of QIN sit down together we “come and see” the struggles of our different populations and neighorhoods. We ”come and see” what families of other faiths are dealing with. I “come and see” the things that I, belonging to the dominant race and religion, did not notice before. This last Thursday John Yazwinski, President and CEO of Father Bill’s place came to speak to QIN. The Quincy shelter has been located in the old RMV office behind the Police Station since 1988. This is a site that that the Mayor’s office is planning to redevelop. John told us of how Father Bill’s never turns anyone away, of how they accommodate 140-150 people each night. And he told of how they asked the people they serve what they needed most, what they are seeking. The resounding answer was housing. And so there are plans for Father Bill’s place, to be moved to a new facility. This facility will organized to help move people out of homelessness. They will expand their mission to include a day center with resources like laundry, showers, and efficiency apartments as well as overnight emergency shelter. Their focus will be on preventing homelessness in the first place. Through his talk, John effectively said “come and see” what we are facing, “come and see” how we minister to people who have no housing. Quincy Interfaith Network’s first service together was an interfaith vigil “Lights for Peace on the Longest Night” held on the evening of December 21st. For Christians, this was an opportunity to “come and see” what a non-Christian, non-Christmas faith gathering looks like. The first speaker on that occasion was a Unitarian Universalist minister, Rev. Clyde Grubbs, who honors his Native American heritage as a Texas Cherokee. Rev. Clyde drew our attention to the land we were standing just across from Quincy Town Hall. He named, for us, the indigenous groups who had inhabited that land. He offered prayers of peace for the rocks, the rivers, the trees and the earth, as well as the people of this land. What a powerful way that was to invite others to “come and see.” We were to come and see something beyond the huge Santa Claus, and snowman, the enormous Christmas trees and life sized Nativity scene that adorned Hancock Adams Common. Wollaston Congregational Church, as we begin a New Year and new decade, may our question, for ourselves and for those around us be: What are you looking for? May our question for Jesus be: Where are you staying? And so, may we all live into Jesus’ incredible invitation to: Come and See. May all God’s people say, Amen
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